The UVic Vikes women鈥檚 soccer team will attempt to keep an undefeated streak going this weekend on the road at Trinity Western University and University of Fraser Valley while the men try to right the ship at home.
Coach Tracy David鈥檚 women鈥檚 side sits at 2-0-1 after an opening scoreless draw against UBC and wins at home over MacEwan and Mount Royal.
The sa国际传媒 West competition gets tougher as the Vikes face the TWU Spartans in Langley today at 5 p.m. followed by a Saturday contest in Abbotsford versus the UFV Cascades at 5:30 p.m. Trinity Western is 3-0-0 and ranked No. 3 in the CIS.
鈥淲e have a little bit of momentum going on, but it鈥檚 always difficult to play Trinity Western and Fraser Valley, both of them have very, very strong programs,鈥� said David. 鈥淭rinity, in particular, are arguably one of the best women鈥檚 soccer programs in the country.
鈥淲e don鈥檛 need any motivation to play against Trinity Western. We know the strength of their program and there鈥檚 a lot of history between Trinity and the Vikes. So let鈥檚 see what they鈥檙e made of and let鈥檚 see what we are made of,鈥� she added.
Trinity Western won the sa国际传媒 West title in 2014 after claiming the national crown in 2013.
As for the Cascades (who are 1-1-1), they have tied UVic the last four regular-season matches that they have played head-to-head.
The Vikes men鈥檚 team will attempt to rebound at home at Centennial Stadium against visiting Winnipeg tonight, followed by a tough Saturday match against the 6-0-0 and No. 3-ranked Alberta Golden Bears, who are led by freshman Ajeej Sarkaria with 12 points.
鈥淗e is as good as any player I鈥檝e seen in the league. He will definitely be an all-star. He鈥檚 big, he鈥檚 strong, he鈥檚 fast, he鈥檚 tricky and he scores goals,鈥� Vikes head coach Bruce Wilson said of Sarkaria.
Both games start at 7:15 p.m.
Winnipeg is 0-5-1 to start its campaign.
鈥淭hey鈥檙e both very decent teams. This weekend will not be easy,鈥� added Wilson. 鈥淲e鈥檝e been forced to use young players throughout the season and in some cases they have done very well and in some cases it鈥檚 just going to take more time.
鈥淥ur goal is to make the playoffs. That鈥檚 possible, we could still do that. It all depends on how our players progress.鈥�
THIS 鈥橬鈥� THAT: The Vikes men鈥檚 rugby team begins pursuit of the Barnard Cup with a game Saturday at 2:45 p.m. against James Bay at MacDonald Park 鈥� The Vikes women鈥檚 field hockey team starts play with games Saturday and Sunday at 11 .am. at UBC.
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